


curious lips (curious heart)

by Worsewo



Category: NCT (Band), WAYV
Genre: A lot of talking, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Kissing, M/M, Oneshot, but just a little bit, this is very soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-19
Updated: 2019-09-19
Packaged: 2020-10-24 07:48:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20702444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Worsewo/pseuds/Worsewo
Summary: “So you’ve kissed a boy before?”, Hendery asks with a quiet voice.“Yes”, Ten says. “It’s very similar to kissing a girl. Boys have a mouth with lips, too, you know?”





	curious lips (curious heart)

_Is Hendery popular among the fans?_

Ten watches the black haired boy who is lying next to him on his stomach intently; his dark lashes, the fading pimple close to his hairline and the slender fingers that tap on his phone. He probably is. Ten is not very up to date when it comes to their individual popularity, and to be honest it’s not exactly healthy to think too much about it. But right now, as they’re just relaxing in their hotel room, doing nothing, the thought suddenly comes up. It’s not a malicious thought, just something… Something that you think of when you’re bored.

They’re staying in a hotel for two nights and Ten didn’t hesitate to choose Hendery as his roommate. It feels nice to be around the younger boy and it’s not too burdensome to share a bed with him. – Hendery doesn’t get too violent or loud while sleeping, unlike some of the other members. Maybe they get along too well, Ten thinks, considering that their staff tends to separate during filming, so that they bond with the other WayV members as well. It’s not like Ten and the others don’t get along well; being in WayV feels like being part of a family and he loves every single one of them, but with Hendery it feels a little different. If he’d have free choice, he’d probably stick to Hendery most of the time during shows.

“So did you understand what the manager told us about our schedule?”, Hendery mutters in English, still looking at his phone.

“Uh, I think so”, Ten replies. “We’re having a photoshoot in the morning. Right? And some kind of interview?”

Hendery nods. A strand of dark hair falls in his forehead.

“Right”, he says in Chinese. “It’s a photo shooting combined with an interview for a fashion magazine.”

Ten stretches before placing his head onto his upper arm, still looking at the other boy. He enjoys these calm moments with Hendery the most. It’s like a sleepover with your best friend that you haven’t talked to in ages, even though they speak to each other every day. It’s just that it’s rarely just the two of them.

“Am I that interesting?”, Hendery asks and flashes him a quick smile.

“Very interesting”, Ten grins, amused. 

Hendery just laughs.

“Do you want to practise Chinese before we go to sleep?”

That’s something Ten likes about him as well: Hendery pays attention to him. What’s special about it is that it doesn’t feel forced. Ten doesn’t feel like a burden whenever Hendery helps him with Chinese. 

“I don’t know”, Ten says and closes his eyes for a second. “I’m tired.”

Hendery sighs before putting his phone aside. He brushes the strand out of his forehead and turns to look at Ten.

“You kept saying this word in English recently”, he says. “_Modern Dance._ Do you remember the Chinese expression I told you?”

“It’s not that important, is it?”, Ten groans, not wanting to start their Chinese lesson right away.

“But I had to correct you like three times”, Hendery says. ”So? What’s the Chinese expression?”

“Xianzai… Tiaowu?”

“Xian_dai Wu_”, Hendery corrects him.

Ten laughs about his own stupidity. He never understands how Hendery can stay so serious when he messes up like this.

“Xianzai is ‘now’, xiandai is ‘modern’”, Hendery explains slowly.

“I know, I know”, Ten says and ruffles his own hair. “I’m just stupid.”

“Nah, you’re not”, Hendery says with a small smile. “So can you repeat what I just said?”

Their Chinese lesson goes on for about an hour of Hendery bringing up mistakes that Ten made during filming and teaching him how to say these words or expressions correctly. Ten is truly amazed how he even remembers all these things. – And, if he has to be honest, he’s also a little bit touched. The other boy acts so dorky in front of the cameras, but behind the scenes he can be very attentive and caring.

At around 11pm they decide to get ready for bed. While Hendery brushes his teeth Ten changes into his sweatpants and a loose T-shirt. They climb into bed a few minutes later.

“Can we talk a little bit more?”, Ten asks after getting into a comfortable position.

“I thought you were tired?”, Hendery says, confused.

“I’m not _that_ tired.”

“Okay?”, Hendery shrugs and faces Ten who’s already cuddling his pillow. “Did something happen?”

“No, I just want to talk. We’ve been so busy recently, I feel like we haven’t really talked in a long time”, Ten says and looks up at Hendery. The taller boy appears somehow even softer without the make-up, and Ten cannot help but smile a little at the sight. Maybe it’s also because of that stupid alpaca-print on Hendery's shirt.

“I see…”

Ten hums, still watching Hendery.

“How do you remember all the bullshit that I say during filming?”, he asks.

“I don’t remember _all_ of it”, Hendery says and props himself up with his elbow. “And it’s not bullshit.”

“I’m not made out of porcelain, Hendery”, Ten snorts. “I know that I don’t exactly sound intelligent when I talk Chinese. At least not all of the time.”

Hendery just rolls his eyes and it looks like he wants to disagree, but instead he says: “I try to remember it in order to help you. I remember how frustrated you got when we first started this unit. We’re a team and I don’t want to leave you hanging. We don’t want to make you feel excluded.”

“Yeah, but you have your own shit to worry about. You don’t need to pay attention to everything that I do. You come first”, Ten replies and tries to catch Hendery’s gaze, but the other boy doesn’t look at him.

“It’s really no problem”, Hendery mutters. “I like to help you. Just like the others.”

They stay quiet for a while after that. Ten peeks at Hendery’s pale hands and the thought comes up again: Is Hendery well-liked by the fans? He must be, right? The female students who went to school with him probably all have a crush on him by now. They probably even liked him before he debuted as an idol.

“Are you still in contact with your former classmates from school?”, he wonders.

“I sometimes write with a few friends, but not that often since we are so busy”, Hendery answers. “What about you?”

Ten has always liked the other boy’s large dark eyes. They help him calm down whenever he’s stressed, but right now, as they are directed at him so expectantly, he feels a bit nervous, maybe even thrilled. He gets this feeling sometimes, but he’s never paid too much attention to it. He knows what it means, but he doesn’t really allow himself to accept it. 

“Yeah, we sometimes talk to each other on the phone”, he says. “My female friends say I look really hot in our new music video.”

Hendery grins and exposes pearly white teeth. “You do.”

“I know.”

“You should marry yourself.”

“That’s a good idea”, Ten says and pretends to think about it. “But wouldn’t that be boring?”

“Probably. But I think you could make it work.”

“Yeah, probably”, Ten laughs before shifting to lie on his back. “Did you have a girlfriend in school?”, he changes the topic.

Hendery hums next to him. “Yes, but only for about a month.”

“I had like three”, Ten says and looks at the ceiling.

“At the same time?”, Hendery wants to know and he is probably only half-joking. Ten is well-known for being a charmer, never missing a chance to flirt, especially during his pre-debut days. He has entertained the other members with a few scandalous storytimes before.

“Maybe”, Ten grins.

“You’re crazy, Ten”, Hendery chuckles.

“But that’s what you love me for”, Ten smiles and turns his head to surprise the other boy with a cheeky wink, but Hendery quickly averts his eyes. 

“Hendery?”, he says when the other boy doesn’t react.

“What?”

Ten lets his gaze wander over Hendery’s lips. They don’t have a very special or elegant shape, but Ten feels intrigued by them anyways.

“Have you ever thought about kissing a boy?”, he says after a pause, still looking at Hendery’s mouth.

He doesn’t need to lift his gaze to see how unexpected the question is for Hendery. It’s painfully quiet for a few seconds and it’d be a lie if Ten said he’s not getting nervous. He’s close to changing the topic, when Hendery suddenly starts speaking.

“Uhm. No”, the tall boy stutters and clears his throat, clearly trying to act normal. “…You?”

“I have”, Ten replies calmly, even though his heart is beating rapidly inside his chest as he watches the profile of the other’s face. 

“When?”, Hendery croaks.

“In school. A few times in Korea”, Ten says. He wants to add: ‘Now’, but Hendery looks so scared that he keeps it to himself.

“But what about your girlfriends?”, Hendery asks and tries to grin.

“I feel attracted to both boys and girls”, Ten confesses and tilts his head to the side.

“Ah”, Hendery looks at the crumpled blanket between them. “Yeah. Maybe… I’ve thought about it once or twice, too. But… I don’t know.”

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of”, Ten says softly. “It’s okay to want to try new things.”

Hendery just nods, cheeks a bit pink. It’s obvious that he’s not comfortable with the topic and Ten is unsure whether it’s a good idea to continue. Still he adds: “If you want to try it…”, he bites his lip. “If you want to try it, I’m up for it. It’s no big deal, right?”

There’s so much weird tension between them, Ten wouldn’t be surprised if the air started crackling.

“A-are you serious?”, Hendery asks, eyes even wider now and skin definitely pinker.

Ten tries to act fearless and shrugs. “If you want to”, he says and locks his eyes with Hendery’s.

“D-do you do this with the others, too?”, Hendery wants to know.

“No”, Ten says without hesitation, still watching his friend. Sure, the other members are good looking as well, but he doesn’t find himself attracted to them. He doesn’t want to touch them, make them blush; make them want to kiss _him_.

“So you’ve kissed a boy before?”, Hendery asks with a quiet voice.

“Yes”, Ten says. “It’s very similar to kissing a girl. Boys have a mouth with lips, too, you know?”

He’s glad that his effort to lighten the mood pays off when Hendery snorts at his bad joke. He inches a bit closer and pinches the younger’s cheek playfully.

“Stop acting like it’s the end of the world”, he mutters. 

“I’m not doing that”, Hendery laughs, shaking his head. “It’s just a weird conversation.”

“Weird in what way?”

Hendery shakes his head again. Ten watches him biting his lip, glancing up quickly before lowering his head again. It’s weird. Usually Ten would just go for it and steal a kiss, but with Hendery it’s different, even though it’s obvious that his friend is curious. He feels like he has to be patient, just like Hendery who is patient with him.

“We can stop talking and just go to sleep?”, he proposes.

Hendery slowly nods.

“Okay.”

It would be a lie if Ten said that he wasn’t disappointed, but he swallows the painful feeling and pulls the blanket over his body instead. When he looks at Hendery again he finds that the boy still hasn’t moved.

“Uh, I can’t sleep with the lights on”, Ten says a little awkwardly and points to the night lamp on Hendery’s side.

Hendery blinks, clearly surprised, before nodding. Ten forces a smile on his face, expecting his friend to turn off the light, but Hendery still doesn’t move.

“Uhm…”, Ten speaks up again, but stops, because Hendery suddenly sits up.

“So how do you do it?”, the black haired boy blurts out.

“… There’s a switch?”

Hendery opens his mouth, then closes it again and nods, clearly flustered. He’s about to turn around to turn off the lights when Ten grabs his arm – earning a surprised shriek from the boy - and pulls him down, so that they’re facing each other. “Maybe talking wasn’t a good idea”, he mutters. Hendery just stares at him with his dark, dark eyes. There’s so much curiosity inside them, it makes Ten’s heart beat faster.

“Why?”, Hendery whispers.

“It made me insecure.”

The corners of Hendery’s mouth twitch a little and Ten doesn’t know whether it’s out of nervousness or amusement. Hendery carefully places his elbow next to his head. Ten doesn’t even notice himself holding his breath at the movement.

“Me too”, Hendery says.

At first it’s just a shy peck on the lips, but as soon as Ten places a hand on his cheek, Hendery becomes a bit bolder and leans down again. Gently Ten threads his fingers through the other boy’s silky hair and opens his mouth for Hendery’s curious lips. Said boy presses a bit closer, his black hair tickling Ten’s forehead, and makes their noses bump together. For a second Ten wonders how long it’s been since Hendery has kissed someone, but the thought gets interrupted when Hendery bites into his lower lip, careful and soft, like he doesn't want to hurt Ten.

Hendery's movements are careful, almost shy, but Ten, despite being more experienced, finds himself liking this a lot. He smiles against the taller boy's lips and his heart jumps when he can feel Hendery return the smile. 

It’s a few minutes before midnight when they part, staring at each other with wide eyes. Hendery is blushing again when he wordlessly sinks back into his own pillow. 

“How was it?”, Ten asks after they’ve turned off the lights and searches Hendery’s hand in the darkness.

“I think I liked it”, Hendery answers and he sounds a bit embarrassed, so Ten leans over and presses an extra wet kiss on his cheek.

“Ew”, Hendery shrieks and tries to pull away.

“I thought you liked it!”, Ten laughs and kisses him again.

“I take it back”, Hendery cries, still trying to get away from him.

Ten saves him from falling out of the bed by circling his arms around his waist and pulling him close. It gets quiet after that, with just their breathing audible. Ten keeps his arms wrapped around Hendery’s waist, and lays his head onto the other boy’s chest.

“I liked it, too”, he mutters quietly and listens to the boy's thundering heartbeat. 

**Author's Note:**

> i usually would have used the name "guanheng", but i thought that maybe ten is more familiar with the name "hendery" since he's more confident about speaking english. so maybe it's easier to pronounce for him and it comes quicker to his mind? 
> 
> btw: my english is not perfect since i'm not a native speaker/writer. i probably need to check the text for mistakes once more. 
> 
> i hope it's not too crappy and/or you liked this oneshot anyways! ~
> 
> [My twitter](https://twitter.com/lorbeerleafs)


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